Manchester City stepped up their bid to end their long wait for silverware by cruising into the FA Cup quarter-finals with a 3-0 win over Aston Villa on Wednesday.
First-half goals from Yaya Toure and Mario Balotelli set them on their way before David Silva wrapped up the fifth round victory.
But the mega-rich side, who have gone 35 years without winning a trophy, were given a helping hand as Villa manager Gerard Houllier opted to name a second string side.
The move backfired and his shadow squad were put to the sword as Manchester City set up a last-eight home tie with Championship (second division) giant-killers Reading.
Given Manchester City’s congested fixture list, it was no surprise Roberto Mancini rotated his side in what was their seventh game in just a month.
Houllier likewise left a string of regulars in reserve and the last thing his understudies would have wanted was to see Toure open the scoring just five minutes in.
The Ivory Coast midfielder netted from six yards, swivelling to rifle the ball into the roof of the net after the ball had bounced off Villa defender Ciaran Clark following an Aleksandar Kolarov corner.
It was the worst possible start for Villa, at a ground where they were comprehensively beaten 4-0 in December.
Villa are made of sterner stuff under Houllier, however, and the Frenchman, who inherited an injury-hit squad, has seen his side improve to avoid any lingering threat of relegation.
They saw Gabriel Agbonlahor shoot wide before Barry Bannan forced Joe Hart into a comfortable save.
Yet it was the home side who were looking the more dangerous and they duly extended their lead via Balotelli’s fine strike with 25 minutes on the clock.
Toure turned provider with a long pass and the Italian striker, who scored a hat-trick when the sides last met here, stroked the ball home on the half-volley beyond Brad Friedel.
But Balotelli almost undid all that work as he illustrated what a frustrating figure he can be by gifting the ball to Agbonlahor.
The England striker fed Emile Heskey, who almost threw the Midlands side a lifeline but his low shot was turned away by Hart.
Balotelli spent the remainder of the half clutching his troublesome right knee as he hobbled on.
His arrival after the break came as something of a surprise, but seeing Villa step up a gear after their lacklustre opening period was not.
A series of corners threatened Hart’s goal but the home side appeared to have weathered the storm.
Balotelli, though, continued to divide opinions.
This time he was fortunate to escape with just a yellow card after elbowing Chris Herd before he was immediately substituted on the hour mark.
Silva wrapped up the win when he collected Herd’s weak header to strike home with 20 minutes remaining.
Houllier then decided to bring on England pair Stewart Downing and Ashley Young, but the tie was already over.
They are the current leading soccer tipsters in this month competition. See also tipsters rankings.
frank_senso
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on ASAS vs Port 1 minute ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on RANS Nusantara vs Persija 1 minute ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play 1X2 tip on Al Karkh vs Al Zawra'a 1 minute ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Changchun Yatai vs Meizhou Hakka 2 minutes ago |
|
frank_senso
posts a In-Play Over / Under tip on Sichuan vs Qingdao Hainiu 12 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Queens Park Rangers vs Leeds United 16 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Queens Park Rangers vs Leeds United 17 minutes ago |
|
bocchg55
posts a 1X2 tip on Nottingham Forest vs Manchester City 18 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Frosinone vs Salernitana 18 minutes ago |
|
tipstero
posts a 1X2 tip on Frosinone vs Salernitana 18 minutes ago |
Upcoming football matches with excellent head to head records over their opponents.
Hapoel Gedera vs Maccabi Stars Ramla |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs who play better for their home games H2H.
MS Tirat HaCarmel vs Maccabi Neve Sha'anan |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Football clubs that play well for their away games.
Real Succes vs Sheriff II |
Sign in to view more football matches.
Motivated teams after winning five matches in a row or they have maintained a ten-match unbeaten run. The bookmakers label them as favourites for a reason.
Teams in crisis after five consecutive defeats or they did not win their last ten football matches. You should avoid betting on these underdogs.
Teams having a draw in the last five matches.
Teams that have not won at away matches.
Abia Warriors |
Sign in to view more football teams.
This tipsters ranking is based on single picks excluding doubles and multi accumulators. For the full ranking click here.
Tipsters with consecutive winnings in their recent predictions.
Tipsters whom have lost a few matches in a row. Bad luck you call it.
I like soccer punter because it's free, enjoyable and no risk taking, you just give out your predictions without any charges,also it gives rewards to its members and upgrade them to platninum levels.
From as little as $1 per soccer tip.
|
Arbitrage is an effective way to make guaranteed profits without losing your money.
Analyze soccer matches, inclusive of past results, head to head stats, today match fixtures, live soccer odds, players and team form.
Check the latest and fastest live score results for all football matches. Know who are the goalscorers, yellow card and red card offenders.
Read up these useful tips for soccer betting.
Get the listings of soccer leagues and competitions for each region, including past seasons results and football statistics.
Want to bet on a match today? Check out the list of today match fixtures.
Read MoreGet the match results for all the soccer matches around the globe. Inclusive of half-time, full-time results.
Read MoreAre you an expert in soccer betting? Join SoccerPunter Tipsters competition to challenge against the top football tipsters and win prizes!
Read MoreCopyright © 2002-2024 SoccerPunter Pte. Ltd. All rights reserved.
Be the first to comment: